'Tis But A Scratch: Oilers Fall To Leafs, 6-3
by Scott Reynolds on Feb 6, 2012 8:28 PM MST
in Game Reports
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PrintYou don't see too many games with no penalties. Of course, you also don't see too many games where the defensemen look like they're playing freeze-tag. In the first period, that's how it looked on both sides. The Oilers opened the scoring when Jordan Eberle cashed a beautiful touch pass from Dion Phaneuf. The Leafs followed that with two of their own, one off a brutal Corey Potter giveaway and another that involved Anton Lander, Lennart Petrell, and Cam Barker watching in awe as one of the gods skated by. But the Leafs weren't trying to show anyone up in the first, so it was only fair that they make an absolutely ridiculous line change to allow the Oilers to even the score on a delightful tic-tac-toe play involving Taylor Hall, Jeff Petry, and Jordan Eberle, who netted his second of the night.
It was a fun night of offense for all!
Until it wasn't. The Oilers outchanced the Leafs through one, but in the last two periods they were outchanced 15-7 and outscored 3-1, and my oh my, that's exactly what it looked like. The Leafs sanded down the rough edges between periods with a pumice stone, while the Oilers lopped off an arm in an effort to be the best that they can be. The arm in question belongs to a young phenom, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. You may have heard of him? Well, it turns out he was coming back from a shoulder injury, and in his second game back, seems to have re-injured it on a pretty routine play. No word on seriousness yet, but with the Oilers in the thick of the playoff race, we can at least take solace in the fact that the Black Knight standard of medicine was used with good reason.
Some observations on specific plays and players after the jump.
Notes from the First Period:
- Jeff Petry started off a night of gaffes from the defensemen with a horrid giveaway about two and a half minutes into the game. He made some nice plays too (his contribution on the Oilers' second goal springs to mind), but that kind of huge defensive blunder followed by a great scoring chance was a sign of things to come.
- Ryan Whitney is clearly still having mobility issues, but his passing skills are still top notch. On one play with about 9:30 to go in the period, he made a pass from the defensive zone that hit Hemsky in stride through the neutral zone, which gave Hemmer a chance to make a play one-on-one. With about 4:30 to go, we got to see both sides of the equation, as I leaned in tentatively to get the puck, but then followed that with an excellent break-out pass. Even if his mobility never gets back to what it was (and it seems likely that it won't), Whitney's other abilities will likely keep him in the NHL.
- It was Tom Gilbert's first game back, and it showed. He wasn't as bad as Cam Barker (obviously), but there were a couple of troublesome moments that will probably happen a few more times as he gets back into the groove. One example of what I'm talking about happened with about 3:45 to go. Gilbert misjudged a puck badly and it allowed Matt Lombardi to push the puck past him for a breakaway.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a great player, but he still has a lot to learn. That really came to the forefront on the Leafs' first goal of the period. He clearly identified Phil Kessel as his check early on in the sequence. When Kessel went around the net, Nugent-Hopkins tried to come across to meet him, but Kessel beat him to the spot, as did a very nice pass, and the puck was quickly in the back of the net. Nugent-Hopkins was noticeably frustrated after the play, so I know he'll be working extra hard to correct the mistakes. It's all about the body language.
- Cam Barker is a terrible player, and he isn't learning. That really came to the forefront on the Leafs' second goal of the period, which was so bad that it was funny. Seriously. I laughed at how bad it was.
- Joffrey Lupul is a pretty frustrating player to watch when he's on your team, and those same things make him frustrating to watch when he's on the other team. On Edmonton's only goal of the period, the Oilers lost the faceoff, but the puck worked its way back to Petry for a shot from the point with traffic in front. Of course, it was classic Lupul. He didn't make it to his spot along the boards, which is why the Leaf pass ended up on Petry's stick, and then he didn't get in the shooting lane, which is why the puck got through to the net. Then Lupul scored a few minutes later. So frustrating.
- I've wanted to see a vintage Ales Hemsky game for a while now. Tonight I did. Except that it came from Mikhail Grabovski. That guy was awesome. I could've written about him for any of these three periods because he was fantastic in each one. He opened this period with a dash down the wing for a scoring chance, and with about 5:20 left in the game, he actually reminded me a lot of Hemsky when he circled the puck around the net to set up another. Beauty player.
- I know that the Oilers were trying to come from behind but Phil Kessel caught Jeff Petry and Ladislav Smid napping on two different occasions in this period alone. The second one came with about 6:35 to go, and it wasn't because the defenders were pinching at the line. Both guys were hanging back in the neutral zone, but they still lost track of Kessel. Apparently the GM isn't the only one who needs to work on communicating.
- Jordan Eberle had another great game. One of his more subtle skills is puck protection with a man on him. With about 4:45 to go, Eberle had the puck along the wall and had a defender all over him. He managed to maintain control of the puck with his body position, and when a second Leaf came down to help, make a quick tape-to-tape pass to the open point. He's one of the guys that make this losing team worth watching.
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RNH
That was a really innocuous looking play. Hope it’s not serious but a wonky shoulder can be trouble (see: Hemsky, Ales).
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
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by PPP on Feb 6, 2012 8:40 PM MST reply actions 1 recs
DEF
Those defencemen sure did look sloppy tonight. They need to tighten the screws on Barker’s noggin, I think.
RNH might need to sit for a while more. Don’t worry about the Calder.
My life in China at http://abillioncivilians.blogspot.com/
They need to tighten the screws on Barker’s noggin, I think.
EIther that or just cut all contact.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
If anybody is still wondering why it made alot of sense to send RNH back for a year, you know, to grow a few pounds, put on some muscle and make the leap from boy to man – this game would be proof of that theory. He simply doesn’t have enough muscle mass around his shoulders yet to support the pounding he’s going to get. Now his shoulder is loose and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had to have it surgically tightened either now or during the off season.
But hey, Calder candidate, right?
Also, in order to win some games going forward the vaunted “vets” are going to have to bring a helluva lot more than they are now scoring wise. I’m laughing out loud at the suggestions Ales Hemsky is looking for over $5M on a multi-year deal. Seriously? Based on what we’ve seen this year? Good luck with that.
“Whoever gets me, the Oilers or another team, will be getting the best Hemmer yet.”
—Ales Hemsky, an impending unrestricted free agent, on what he can offer an NHL team.
by zys on Feb 6, 2012 9:29 PM MST up reply actions
They’re going to have to waive Barker now, right?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
If by waive you mean sign to long-term multimillion dollar contract, yes, you are correct.
The Edmonton Oilers, keeping opposition fans happy for the last 6 years
Oh that would be brutal. I imagine they at least hold on to him through the season though as an injury stopgap. That said, I hope they see the wisdom of benching him esp. against fast teams like the leafs.
by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 7, 2012 8:26 AM MST up reply actions
Corey Potter is looking like the Steve Mason of defense right now. An awesome start to the season, seemingly coming out of nowhere after toiling in the minors for years and then falls back down to earth after the re-signing. I sure hope he can get back to whatever he was doing at the start of the season because he wouldn’t look out of place in the AHL again. Too bad he is on a one way deal for another 2 years.
but with the Oilers in the thick of the playoff race
…..
Goals scored on Stanley Cup winning goalies by Scott Gomez this past year: 0
Goals scored on Stanley Cup winning goalies by me: 1
I think it was a remark of unparalleled beauty that perfectly encapsulates the joys of following the Oilers in their intrepid journey towards hockey oblivion.
by Yeti# on Feb 7, 2012 6:22 AM MST up reply actions 2 recs
Comedy hasn’t reached the hockey capital of the world.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
The Black Knight standard of medicine might be the greatest one-liner in C&B history.
In theory, there is little difference between practice and theory, but in practice there is!
Tactical contributor to the Copper & Blue and just as boring on the twitters... @dawgbone98
by dawgbone98 on Feb 7, 2012 7:37 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
A couple of thoughts on the game from where I sat:
Whitney is either skating better or he is learning to play without his mobility. Tonight was the first night since last year where he didn’t spend half the game looking ineffective.
Barker is terrible both with and without the puck.
Petry went from being on track to having one of the worst games of all time to being pretty solid. He was dreadful the first 10 minutes but picked it up after that.
Potter is showing why he has had issues cracking the NHL. He’s got a good hard point shot, but can’t seem to make a decision while moving his feet.
Gilbert had a decent first game back. Aside from getting Ole’d by Lombardi, he had a strong game.
Smid basically looked like superman compared to most of the d-men.
Dubnyk played well. All 5 goals were from right in front of the net. The one questionable one you could see exactly what he was trying to do. He thought Barker had Kulemin tied up, he had a defenseman wide for help and the Leafs were changing. Yes, had he played it like it was a shot there wouldn’t have been a goal, but at this level you sort of expect your guys to do their job correctly.
The Smyth goal was in before he touched Reimer. We had a pretty good view of the play. Unfortunately, that’s not a reviewable play. It was the wrong call, but it was a tough call for the ref to make based on where he was and how the play was developing. Potentially cost the Oilers a point in this game.
Teams have started to figure out Hall on the rush, give him some space to the outside, then cut him off. He likes to bring the puck in deep and look for the pass, I’d like to see him get over the blueline and start putting it on net every now and then, just to keep the opposition honest.
I made the joke to Pat last night that the Oilers line of 28-20-10 had scored something like 2 goals in 30 games combined… I wasn’t aware how close I was to being right. That trio is struggling to score goals.
It was a fun game and the first 3 Oiler lines have some good things going for them, but their D is pretty terrible and it cost them the game tonight.
In theory, there is little difference between practice and theory, but in practice there is!
Tactical contributor to the Copper & Blue and just as boring on the twitters... @dawgbone98
Ok, so the Smyth goal. If it’s interference how is it not a penalty? Or is the disallowed goal considered penalty enough (too much by my lights)?
Also, when time is an issue (i.e., assuming there was contact that impeded Reimer) why wouldn’t the league make an on-ice call like interference subject to video review? In the case of time, one could score, then interfere with the goalie… but depending on the POV of the ref it could look the other way around. Video would clear this up without perverting the responsibility of on-ice calls, no?
by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 7, 2012 8:34 AM MST up reply actions
It isn't always a penalty to interfere with the goalie
If it is a blatant and deliberate attempt at interference, goalie interference will be called.
If it is incidental (i.e., he was pushed but made no effort to avoid contact, or tried to avoid contact but couldn’t), incidental contact is the call, the goal is waved off, but there is no penalty.
It’s a pretty common occurrence to be honest. That said, the call last night was dubious at best, and I personally thought it probably should have been a good goal.
Also, there is no provision in the instant-replay rules to allow replay for the assessment of potential penalties or goals being disallowed due to interference. Those calls must be made in the moment. Reviews can only be called on scoring plays where the method or fact of the goal is in question. That is, whether the puck crosses the line, whether it was batted/kicked in, whether it went in after the horn, or before/after the net came off its moorings, etc.
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Feb 7, 2012 8:49 AM MST up reply actions
There should be a coach's challenge
For scoring plays, where the entire play can be reviewed, probably, but it’s simply very difficult to manage. When you get into an area where coaches can challenge plays that result in penalties that weren’t called being assessed after the fact, it makes for very complex situations that the league would prefer to steer clear of in general.
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Feb 7, 2012 8:51 AM MST up reply actions
Thanks.
I get that the league would want to steer clear of unnecessary complexity. You don’t want to slow the game down or diminish the human element etc.
But the crucial thing in this case seems to be time, which is a variable a video review could account for after the fact. Surely there must be cases where contact occurs (whether incidental or not) that takes place after the goal crosses the line but nevertheless leads to an on-ice no goal call. In those rare cases, perhaps a coach’s request for review might be warranted.
by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 7, 2012 9:11 AM MST up reply actions
I don’t think we need a coaches challenge for this, it should be a revieawable play as all plays should be when a goal is involved. Give the refs the ability to look at the play again before making the call and they would get it right in these scenarios. It was a bad call that we (I’m a Leafs fan) benefited from this time, but recently got screwed on, I don’t like seeing calls like this determine the outcome of a game, it is just bad for hockey.
Bam Bam.- digga digga damm
Certain things are exempt from video review. Things like goaltender interference, the ref losing sight of the puck, offsides, etc…
Should they all be factored in, I guess, but where do you draw the line?
In theory, there is little difference between practice and theory, but in practice there is!
Tactical contributor to the Copper & Blue and just as boring on the twitters... @dawgbone98
RNH is not ready for the NHL. I mean, he can put up points, but he is not physically ready for an 82 game season. It’s too bad really, great player who will probably be plagued with injuries because he didn’t get the time to properly physically develop.
by Jeremywilhelm on Feb 7, 2012 9:05 AM MST via mobile reply actions
You’re the 10th or so person I’ve seen say this in the last 12 hours. This new sentiment is going to be interesting as it takes on the narrative.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Judging by this season’s performance, is RNH less ready to play in NHL than Hemsky? P-l-e-a-s-e… This is not “Hemsky bashing”, just an observation.
by Roman_Pilgrim on Feb 7, 2012 9:38 AM MST up reply actions
Except i was saying this in the preseason. I think i said it about 5 times in different threads here.
by Jeremywilhelm on Feb 7, 2012 10:53 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
He is built like a 16 year old girl. Another year to develop physically in the dub would have done the kid wonders physically. I mean, he isn’t gonna hit 190 pounds, but a bit more time to put on some lean muscle to protect his body woulda been nice.
by Jeremywilhelm on Feb 7, 2012 10:56 AM MST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
The boards in the nhl are the softest in hockey.
by Jeremywilhelm on Feb 7, 2012 4:06 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
I love the understatement on Barker. It really is funny how bad Barker is. It is also funny how no one in the media is capable of noticing how bad he is. Or maybe that’s sad. I’m not sure.
In any event Tambellini and Lowe might be incompetent in some ways but it’s impossible for them to be so incompetent not to know that Barker is terrible. Right? Right?
by Captain Obvious II on Feb 7, 2012 9:57 AM MST reply actions
I think part of it – for the CBC and TSN games anyway – is simply that they don’t see him play and assume (based on his draft pedigree, his cup run and the poor play of the Oilers without him – none of which would fool anyone watching him actually play) that he’s a “top 4” guy.
by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 7, 2012 10:39 AM MST up reply actions
Defence
Now that we are healthy, what the heck happened? At the first of the year we were winning low scoring battles with the leagues top teams. We need to get back to simple, hard-nosed defence and our top six will do the rest.
Well you would need to have a hard nosed defenseman or two to play hardnosed defense.
by Jeremywilhelm on Feb 7, 2012 10:57 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
When it comes to the Oilers, the concept of “healthy” is a nebulous one.
by TakeoutArtist on Feb 7, 2012 12:20 PM MST up reply actions
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